Local authorities announced the evacuation of two Russian villages on Thursday after a fire broke out at a warehouse near the border with Ukraine.
The fire comes days after explosions at a military base and ammunition depot in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, with Moscow accusing Moscow of “sabotage” in the latter case.
The fire broke out at an ammunition depot near the village of Timonovo in Belgorod province, less than 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Kladkov, said in a statement.
There were no casualties, but residents of Timonovo and the neighboring village of Soloti were “removed to a safe distance”, he continued, adding that authorities were investigating the cause of the fire.
In a video posted on social media, a huge fireball could be seen billowing thick black smoke. In another video, multiple explosions can be seen in the distance.
A fire broke out today amid a series of bomb explosions at Russian military bases near Ukraine.
In early August, one person was killed and several others injured when a bomb exploded near the Sagi military airfield in Crimea for a military airlift.
A few days later, it dropped a press bomb in Crimea. In this case, Moscow admitted – a rare fact – that it was an “act of sabotage”.
Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine on February 24, Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of attacks on its territory, particularly in the Belgorod region.
Last month, rockets landed in the city of Belgorod, the capital of Homonymous province, killing four people, local officials said.
In early April, Klatkov accused Ukraine of attacking a fuel depot in Belgorod with two helicopters.
